Hurricane Sandy: Upper Nyack Firefighters Postpone Annual Spook House

Halloween transforms Upper Nyack into trick-or-treat central, with children from throughout the Nyacks going door-to-door and visiting the Spook House at the Upper Nyack firehouse.

But with the approach of Hurricane Sandy, the volunteers of Empire Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1 on North Broadway have decided to postpone their very popular Halloween Spook House at the firehouse.

The Spook House was set for Wednesday, Halloween night, but after lengthy internal discussions, firefighters said this morning they believe it's best to indefinitely postpone the Haunted House because of the possible dangers to the community presented by the approaching storm.

To make the Spook House, the Nyack Fire Department members convert the truck bay of the Empire firehouse into a scary display that children can walk through, with firefighters taking on the roles of ghouls and goblins.

Members of Empire say that they are concerned about the safety of children, and don't want them going out in any severe weather conditions for a Halloween event. Additionally, many Empire members are involved with emergency services fields that would require them to be on-call or on-duty if the storm does hit the area.

If the storm moves off and avoids the area, firefighters say they would resconsider the postponement. Because of the uncertainties of the storm, firefighters say they have not yet set a new date for the Spook House — they will look at the issue again next week.